There was a group of ten people setting up a temporary base using one of the many dilapidated houses within an abandoned village. They had already fixed the house into a more acceptable state than it had been before, and right now they were having lunch together while resting their body after the laborious work.

But unbeknownst to them, someone was keeping his eyes on them from afar. In fact, his eyes had been on them ever since the day before. He was wary of them, keeping his presence hidden using a magic spell of Enhancement Weave category, and maintaining a distance from them as far as he could afford.

The guy, while maintaining cover within one of the abandoned houses, pulled out his notebook from his magic storage and skipped to the pages where he had written a journal about the strange thing he had seen while on guard over the heavily infested area. He drank a few sips from a bottle filled with alcoholic drinks as he reviewed what he had written so far.

At midnight, a strange thing was spotted flying over. I saw it landing far from my current position but still reachable within a day. I should go there and check it out.

At noon of the next day, I spotted a group of people trekking through the woods. It was a group of ten, equally divided into two sub-groups judging from their clothes. I will observe them from afar for now.

Those people encountered some calamity beasts. At first I intended to help them discreetly by sniping the beasts from afar, but it turned out they were capable enough to slay the beasts. It was hard to make out from this distance, but in my eyes they seemed to have pulled guns out of thin air. It’s highly probable that they have some kind of magic storage like mine.

The next morning, I tried listening to their conversation and reading their lips. They spoke in a completely different language, so there was no use eavesdropping further. At least from their body gestures and their trekking direction afterwards I could make a guess that they were going to the abandoned village. There is a pack of green drakes ahead, so I better clear a path for them.

It seems my help made them wary, which is within my expectation. But nevertheless, they reached the village not long after and made one of the houses into their temporary base. Good thing they didn’t pick the house I’m now in. Not that it would have mattered much anyway.

The guy pulled out his pen from his magic storage and wrote some more on the latest page of the journal.

So far, the information I have gathered are as follows:

Five of the ten are most probably soldiers while the other five are civilians not capable of combat. They don’t speak common tongue. Trying to communicate with them will be tricky. They probably have storage magic. The soldiers can pull large guns out of their waists. The content of the suitcase brought by one of the civilians is very valuable, judging from how they treat it. Their objective is still unknown to me, but from the looks of it they might be stranded and now are trying to survive.

After writing, the guy closed the book and put it into his magic storage along with the pen. He then let out a little sigh and drank some more sips from the bottle before resuming his surveillance on the group.

“I have to make contact with them sooner or later.” He whispered to himself. “Now, how should I make my approach...?”

***

After lunch and a short rest, Renne and her crews spread out within the house to do some more cleaning up. Nathan and Storm Squad stood guard outside, watching the surroundings for possible hostile presence since after all, they were still in the middle of a wilderness filled with monsters.

“Should we install a turret on the roof?” Nathan asked Storm One standing next to him.

“Is that an order, Vice-Captain sir?”

“No. I merely want to hear opinions and suggestions. Let’s hear yours for a start.”

“If you ask me, sir.” Storm One said. “We should, but only in manual control.”

“So you think the same, too.” Nathan folded his arms. “The rest of your squad are most definitely on the same page too. All right! That’s what we will do later today!”

“Yes, sir!” Storm One said. Then suddenly a short range transmission came from Storm Three who was standing guard at the other side of the house.

“Sir! I spotted a man coming towards us!”

“What!? Does he look hostile?”

“He doesn’t seem to have spotted us yet, sir. He’s walking casually and looking around.”

“Okay! Put your gun away, but be ready to pull it out anytime. Confirm whether he is hostile or not first, and stay cautious!”

“Affirmative, sir!”

Nathan then ended the transmission and immediately went into the house, leaving Storm One to hold position. Right after entering through the front door, Nathan spoke loud and clear to Renne and her crew.

“Take cover! Storm Three spotted a person coming!”

“What? A native? Are we going to have first contact?” Renne spoke with her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Yes, but we need to exercise caution. It could be the mysterious shooter, or one of them, and we still don’t know if they’re friendly. Please stay here until I say otherwise, Miss Renne.”

“Aww...” Renne pouted. “It’s a first contact and you have to take the honor.”

“May I remind you that even in normal circumstances it is the standard procedure that the combat squad should be the one to make the first contact?”

“But we can’t even watch the historical moment like this!” Renne pouted even harder.

Nathan sighed and shook his head. “Alright. You can take a peek through the window. No more than that.”

“Yes!” Renne raised her right fist high, and Nathan left through the front door again. This time, he immediately went to the back side of the house and approached Storm Three.

“Sir!” Storm Three said without taking her eyes off from the unknown person, who seemed to have noticed their presence. He waved both his hands while standing in place.

“I shall approach him. Stay alert.” Nathan said, starting to wave his right hand towards the man and walking towards him.

“Yes, sir.” Storm Three said, holding her position.

Both Nathan and the man walked closer to each other slowly and steadily. While walking, Nathan observed the looks of the unknown man. His black hair was badly unkempt and the same applied to the facial hair, thus it was difficult to see the entirety of his face. His outfit looked ragged, but on closer look they seemingly were made from sturdy material suitable for outdoor activities. What caught Nathan’s attention the most was the barrel strapped on his back because it looked impractical to carry in a hostile wilderness like this.

Once Nathan was within earshot from the man, he stopped. The man noticed, and he stopped too.

“Do you understand my words?” Nathan asked.

“I pou’ʇ nupǝɹsʇɐup.” Illegible words came out from the man’s mouth as he shook his head, and that was well within Nathan’s expectations.

Nathan then pointed at the man, then at himself. “Nathan.” And then he pointed at the man again. “Hmm?”

The man nodded, pointed at himself with his thumb, and spoke. “Lory.” He then pointed back at Nathan. “Nathan.”

Nathan firmly smiled and nodded before offering a handshake to Lory with hopes that this planet’s culture was similar in that regard. Fortunately, it was indeed the case since Lory accepted the offer. Nathan then pointed at Lory, himself, and a nearby pair of rocks nearby in sequence. “You, me, sit.”

Lory nodded, and the two of them soon sat on the nearby rocks. Nathan then pulled out a small tablet device from his military coat and used it to project a holographic image for Lory to see. Lory looked intrigued, leaning closer to it and taking a good look.

The content of the holographic pictures displayed by the device was mainly a quick visual introduction of who Nathan and the others were without mentioning space travel. In other words the group was presented as travelers looking to explore new places, which was technically right.

“How’s it going?” Suddenly Renne asked right in front of Nathan.

Nathan stood up in a jolt and put himself between Lory and Renne. “Miss Alphen! I told you to only peek from the window!”

“But he seems friendly, though?” Renne tilted her head a little to peek at Lory.

“For now, but we never know what’s in his mind!”

“Ah, come on! Don’t be so stiff!” Renne walked past Nathan and approached Lory. “Hello there!” She greeted with raised hand.

“Ello... dere.” Lory replied, which prompted Renne to smile with her eyes wide.

“Renne!” Renne said while pointing at herself. “Renne Alphen!”

“Renne Alphen.” Lory said while pointing at Renne. “Lory.” He continued as he pointed at himself.

Renne then raised one finger, pointed at herself and Nathan in sequence, and raised another finger. Right after that, she presented both her hands with all fingers raised. In response, Lory nodded and began pointing at Renne’s fingers one by one.

“Ouǝ, ʇʍo, ʇɥɹǝǝ, ɟonɹ, ɟᴉʌǝ, sᴉx, sǝʌǝu, ǝᴉƃɥʇ, uᴉuǝ, ʇǝu.” Lory said, and Renne smiled with a nod before clenching both hands into fists. “Zǝɹo.”

Renne then pointed at the house used as a temporary base. “ʇǝu people.”

“┴ǝu dǝodlǝ.” Lory nodded.

***

The man who had introduced himself to the strangers as Lory kept his face straight while analyzing the information he had obtained so far. The man named Nathan seemed to be cautious while the woman named Renne was more easygoing. She was seemingly honest at least, telling him that there were ten people in total in her group.

From the projections presented by the device Nathan was carrying, Lory could easily understand the message they were trying to convey. They were basically explorers traveling to unknown places. However, Lory knew that there were information pieces they chose not to tell him for some reason. He had a number of questions, but the language barrier was a hindrance. So far they were seemingly friendly, but Lory still felt the need to be cautious. After all, they were right in the middle of a corrupted land overtaken by Calamity Beasts.

Boom!

Lory heard a distant sound of explosion which was familiar to him. He looked to his left quickly, and what followed right after was a visible rising smoke at a far distance.

“ʇɐɥʇ sɐʍ ʇɐɥM?” Nathan said as he quickly put Renne behind him while looking at the direction where the explosion sound came from.

Without saying anything, Lory stood up and jumped to the roof of a nearby house in a single bound. Once he got a proper footing, he pulled out his spyglass and used it to look at the rising smoke in the distance. As he had thought, a Calamity Beast had just triggered his explosive trap. At least two of the foul beasts had been blown to pieces, and the surviving ones fled.

“Hmm...” Lory put his spyglass down and looked to the sky. The overcast had become gloomier compared to the previous day, and light flashes were occasionally visible at various spots. “It’s coming earlier this time around. Three... no, maybe even two days left...” Lory then looked at Nathan and Renne below, who were looking at him in awe. “And now I have other people to protect. Heh...”

After sighing, Lory jumped down from the roof and landed on his two feet in front of Nathan and Renne. Due to the language barrier, communicating wouldn’t be easy. Therefore, Lory reached his hand into his cloak, veiling the magical storage he used from Renne’s and Nathan’s sight, and pulled out his notebook and pen. Nathan and Renne looked at him with apparent anticipation as he scrawled a few things on it.

“Here.” Lory said, showing his notebook while pointing at one part of it. He wasn’t sure if they would get the message he was trying to convey, but for now he believed he had made his best attempt.

“sɹǝʇsuoW.” Nathan said towards the sketch of Calamity Beasts Lory was putting his finger on.

Only one word... maybe he said “Monsters”?

Lory then moved his finger to a different part of the page.

“sǝsnoH?” Renne said while tilting her head. “ǝɹǝɥ uɐǝɯ noʎ?” She spoke again while pointing to houses around and then straight to the ground she stood on. Lory nodded in response to the question, having assumed that she understood the message. Lory then drew multiple arrow marks pointing from the sketch of Calamity Beasts towards the sketch of houses.

Both Nathan and Renne had their eyes going wide before looking at each other with worried expressions. Lory then pointed at an illustration of the sun and the moon in sequence twice before raising two fingers. Seeing that, Renne and Nathan looked even more worried than before.

“Lory!” Renne called. “sn dlǝɥ noʎ llᴉM?” She said, pointing at Lory and then at the ground. Lory assumed that Renne was asking if he would stay with the people here and help, and therefore he nodded. He had decided so ever since the moment he had confirmed them to be non-hostile.

***

“Miss Renne! Are you sure about this?” Nathan asked.

“Yes, Nathan. He looks experienced and capable. If monsters are going to attack this place we will need all the help we can get.” Renne said. “And he agreed.”

“We don’t even know if he got what you meant.”

“And if he stays with us we can learn the local language. We’ll need it sooner or later.”

“Huugh, alright.” Nathan said with a heavy sigh. “But I will keep an eye on him.”

“Suit yourself.” Renne then turned to Lory and took his hand. “Come with me. I’ll introduce you to the others.”

Renne then pulled Lory over to the house where everyone was staying. Nathan followed behind with his eyes rolled before he briefly stopped and took a good look at the gloomy sky. He squinted his eyes and let out a sigh before resuming his walk behind Lory and Renne.

Throughout the rest of the day, Nathan and all members of Storm Squad kept their eyes on Lory with suspicion. However, Renne and all her assistants somehow had no trouble getting along with him. In fact, by the time the night fell they already managed to learn enough words to hold conversations, which was impressive because it usually would take at least a full day to reach this much progress in learning local language even with the help of nanomachines.

“Dinner time!” Renne said, having arranged everyone’s meal over a large sheet on the floor like before. But unlike before, there was an 11th spot made for Lory who looked a little bewildered.

“No need to do this for me.” Lory said while sitting in his spot. “I have my own food.”

“It’s a good time to try out our food for yourself.” Renne said with a grin. “Well, although it’s just emergency ration so it’s not exactly our best dish.”

“Are you sure about this?” Lory asked. “Shouldn’t you dɹǝsǝɹʌǝ your food?”

“Oh, new word. I bet it’s ‘preserve’.” Renne said. “No worries. Just dig in.”

“Yeah, go ahead and eat without worry.” Nathan said. “We have enough for at least three more days. Still enough time to look for other food sources.”

Lory lowered his head looking at the food in front of him. “...Alright. Thank you for the dɐʇɹouɐƃǝ.”

“Another new word!” Sandra said. “I’m guessing ‘patronage’!”

Lory smirked looking at the behavior of Renne and her assistants, and then he spoke. “I have never seen such a magic that allows you to learn a new language this quickly.”

“Hmm.” Renne put her finger under her chin. “Now that we can speak well enough, I think it’s better to tell the truth that it’s not magic but ʎƃolouɥɔǝʇ. Oh, it came out in our language. New word for you then.”

“Not magic but...” Lory folded his arms briefly. “Technology? Things you make with knowledge and science?”

“That’s right! Technology!” Renne said, full of excitement. “I’m surprised that you know about it! I mean, I thought magic and technology doesn’t mix well.”

“Who said that?” Lory asked. “Magic itself is knowledge and science so why shouldn’t it mix with technology?”

“Umm, I think our common sense doesn’t exactly match.” Renne said. “From where we came magic only exists in fantasy stories, so we fully rely on technology to do basically almost everything.”

“It’s hard to imagine a place without magic.” Lory said. “But for now I shall take your word for that.”

“Uhh... Sir Lory?” Hilda timidly raised her hand.

“Just Lory is fine. What is it?”

“Could you... show us magic?” Hilda asked while her eyes were going back and forth between meeting with Lory’s and averting. “I-It’s okay if you don’t want to...”

“The magic I’m good at isn’t something I can show you easily.” Lory said. “But I can show this, at the very least.”

Lory then pulled out a cigarette from his coat pocket, put it into his mouth, and lit it up with a small fire which came out from his bare index finger. Everyone’s eyes went a little wider seeing that.

“Whoa...” Hilda said.

“So this is magic.” Renne said, taking a closer look. “Just like in fantasy stories.”

“This is a basic spell which even children can learn.” Lory said as he put out the fire and began smoking the cigarette. “But of course, children shouldn’t play with fire so usually the first spell they ever learn is this.”

Lory reached his left hand forward right above his glass of water, and drops of water began dripping from his bare finger. The drip gradually intensified until it became a small, constant stream which filled the glass to the brim right before he stopped it. Renne and all her crews looked at it with their mouths agape while Nathan and Storm Squad maintained their face straight, the latter had an easier time because they wore helmets with one-way visors that concealed their eyes.

“Is that water made with magic?” Renne asked with her eyes fixated on the full glass. “Can people drink it?”

“Yes to both questions.” Lory answered. “In fact, it’s better to drink this than water taken from wells and rivers.”

Renne nodded slightly. “Right. פǝɹɯs. Oh, new word for you again. It is... very tiny creatures that can make you sick if they get inside you.”

“Germs.” Lory said. “And you’re right. Drinking water directly from wells and rivers is dangerous because of those things.”

“I’m glad that we’re on the same page!” Renne said before glancing at the barrel next to Lory. “By the way, I’ve been wondering. What’s inside that barrel?”

“Booze.” Lory replied. “Want some?”

The moment Renne heard Lory’s answer, her eyes went wide and she smiled ear to ear. All her assistants and also Nathan immediately rolled their eyes noticing that.

“But on second thought, never mind.” Lory said. “It seems bad things will happen if you get drunk.”

“Aww!” Renne pouted and glared at everyone else, who immediately averted their eyes. She then closed her eyes and sighed. “But yeah, I don’t deny it. When drunk I bother everybody around me a lot. But anyway! Now I’m curious. Why do you bring such a large barrel around?”

Lory lowered his head. “I have my reasons...”

“I guess it’s a difficult topic. Never mind then!” Renne said before taking a deep breath and putting on a serious face. “So, earlier you told me and Nathan that monsters will attack this place. Would you explain more?”

“Yes. I intended to tell you all to begin with. Your language translation technology makes things much easier now. Alright, listen up. The things you call monsters are called Calamity Beasts by people here. They are violent creatures that kill every other creature on sight, and they are especially aggressive towards humans.”

“Why are they like that? Or, why do they exist in the first place?”

“Nobody knows for sure. It’s all myths and legends.” Lory replied. “But that’s not the main point right now so I’ll continue. This area is a corrupted land, ever since over a decade ago. Calamity Beasts have taken over this land, and now they are everywhere. You honestly have chosen the worst place to land with your airship.”

“We sadly didn’t have a choice back then.” Renne said. “But why are you here alone in this so-called corrupted land?”

“You’ve seen the overcast above, right?”

“Yes. It’s strange and feels unnatural because the cloud doesn’t seem to be moving at all.”

“It is unnatural.” Lory said. “The overcast is part of the corruption, and about once a year rain falls from it for three days straight. All Calamity Beasts soaked in the rain would magically know the position of the nearest human. Coupled with their innate enmity to humans, you know what happens then.”

“Wait! So you’re saying that...” Sandra said, gulping before resuming. “The monsters will come at us soon?”

“Yes. Honestly, you came at the worst time and place possible.”

“So...” Renne said with her hand under her chin. “You were intending to be a live bait alone before meeting us?”

“Yes.” Lory nodded, and some of Renne’s assistants gasped hearing the reply. “Otherwise those beasts would go on a stampede towards the nearest town.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

“...About twenty years.”

Lory’s answer naturally made everyone else besides Renne look at each other with varying degrees of awe written on their faces.

“How did you survive all your past experiences?”

“I moved around a lot, leading them to many traps I’ve prepared beforehand. Sadly the tactic’s now impossible because I’m not the only human around.”

Renne was briefly silent before she bowed her head to Lory. “I apologize on behalf of everyone else for putting you in a difficult situation.”

“Take it easy.” Lory said. “We still have about two days before it happens. Enough time to come up with a plan.”

“Hey.” Audrey chimed in. “Can’t we just run away?”

“Run where?” Lory said. “The beasts will know where you are no matter what.”

“How do we know that everything you said is true?” Audrey asked. “Who’s to say that you’re not looking for a chance to rob us blind by making us stay here?”

“Audrey!” Renne shouted. “That’s not...!”

“It’s fine.” Lory intervened. “Of course it’s hard to trust someone you just met some hours ago. I know that very well.”

“Alright, alright. You both have a point.” Renne said. “But either way, we will be staying here for a while to look for ways to stock up on food supplies.”

“And we better do it fast.” Anton said. “Assuming what Lory said is true, our temporary base here will be under siege in a downpour for three days. It will be impossible to search for a food source then.”

“Right.” Renne nodded. “Nathan, can I rely on you?”

Nathan nodded with a firm facial expression. “Certainly, Miss Renne! Storm Three and I will go on a hunt first thing in the morning!”

“Don’t push yourself. Retreat if it gets dangerous.”

Lory then chimed in right after Renne said her words. “Hey, if you like, I can accompany them. I know this area like the back of my hands.”

“Well, what do you think, Nathan?” Renne asked with her eyes on Nathan.

Nathan, keeping his face straight, replied. “Getting help from a local when exploring an unknown place is well within reason, Miss Renne.”

Renne then looked back at Lory. “We will be in your care then.”

“Thanks for your trust in me.” Lory said, lowering his head with a rather gloomy facial expression which made those who noticed wonder.

“I-Is there something wrong?” Hilda asked. “Just now you look... sad.”

“Sorry. I just suddenly remembered a bitter past.” Lory said. “I don’t wish to talk about it, so please don’t ask.”

“Oh, by the way!” Renne said, frantically trying to shift the topic. “What are those metal things around your barrel?”

Lory in response glanced at the barrel and replied. “My weapon.”

“May we see it?”

“Sure.”

Lory then took the cluster of mechanical metallic things which had been hanging at the sides of the barrel. Within less than ten seconds he assembled them all together, and what came out from it was a gun with a long barrel, very similar to a hunting rifle. But upon closer inspection, the barrel had a pair of blades going along its length. Those blades seemed as if they could quickly fold around the barrel, essentially converting the weapon from a gun to a sword.

“Here it is.” Lory said, putting it down on the floor with its barrel pointing away from anyone in the room. “I think all of you are familiar with this kind of weapon, no?”

“Lory.” Nathan said. “So you’re the one who killed the giant lizards on our way here this morning?”

“Yeah, I mean who else is around?” Lory asked back. “I thought all of you should know already.”

“We had suspicions, but no confirmation before just now.” Nathan said.

“Well, I’m glad that we’re in capable hands!” Renne said before the conversation could continue. “Now let’s finish our dinner and sleep! We have a lot of things to do tomorrow!”

Everybody then finished their meals without much to say. Like the previous nights, Nathan and Storm Squad members took turns guarding while Renne and all her assistants slept like logs. Throughout his watch, Nathan kept his eyes on Lory who slept sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall in the far corner of the house. Due to his unkempt hair and dense facial hair, it was difficult to discern whether he was fast asleep or actually awake.

The cautious watch continued throughout the night, and morning came without anything bad happening. The sky was still as gloomy as ever, if not more. Everyone had breakfast in the same way as the dinner the previous night, and after they were done it was time to get to work.

“Alright! Here’s the plan for today!” Renne said. “Nathan and Storm Three will go search for food along with Lory. The rest will stay and fortify our defenses. Storm One will be taking the lead in Nathan’s absence. Any questions?”

“Lory, I need to ask you one thing.” Storm one said.

“Sure, ask away.” Lory replied.

“How many monsters are we expecting?”

Lory folded his arms and waited briefly before answering. “Hundreds at the very least.” Everyone else reacted in varying degrees of surprise and worry. “But not all at once. This island is big, after all.”

“Did you just say island?” Nathan asked with his eyes squinted at Lory.

“Yeah, we’re on an island in the middle of a giant lake.”

“How do we get out of the island after this matter is over?”

“I’ll explain later. We need to get to work now, aren’t we?”

“Alright, you have a point. Later then.”

The group was then split into two as previously discussed. Nathan, Storm Three, and Lory went to hunt for food sources, while the rest stayed in the abandoned village to fortify the defenses.

“So, what’s your plan for our defenses?” Renne asked Storm One who was looking around, scanning over his surroundings. His arms were folded, and even though his eyes were covered by the visor of his helmet, one could easily see the seriousness written on his face.

“We will set up a perimeter around the house and install stationary weapons at crucial spots. For now I need to decide how wide the perimeter should be.”

“What are the pros and cons?”

“There are only so many of us, so a wider perimeter will spread us thin. On the other hand, narrower one end up limiting our movement. We also need to take into account the number of monster corpses we will have to deal with once it’s over.”

“Right...” Renne said, rolling her eyes. “Having hundreds of monster corpses piling up all around the house would be gross. Wider perimeter than just the house would be better.”

“At least twenty meters around the house, then.”

“How about...” Renne glanced at several other houses around the temporary base. “...making a triangle with that house and that one as the other points?”

“Yes, I thought the same just now.” Storm One said while glancing at the two houses Renne had mentioned. “We can fortify them and install turrets on the roofs.”

“And then we build barricades connecting the houses.” Renne said, to which Storm One responded with a nod. “Let’s get to work, then!”

And so the work to fortify the temporary base began. The most physically demanding works were done by Storm One, Storm Two, and Storm Four, while Renne and her four assistants did the less demanding ones like moving and arranging lighter materials, and also providing snacks and drinks for moral support.

“Hey, Audrey.” Renne suddenly said when there were only the two of them inside the temporary base, sorting through the contents of Hilda’s space suitcase.

Audrey was mildly startled, but she then responded with one word. “What?”

“What did you see?” Renne said right before her eyes met with Audrey’s. “About Lory.”

“Eh? Umm, nothing particular.” Audrey averted her squinted eyes. “I just don’t trust him right away. That’s that.”

“I see.” Renne said. “I think none of us do either. I mean, not fully. But still, telling him that right on his face was too harsh. Imagine, how would you feel if those exact words were said to you?”

Audrey didn’t reply to Renne’s question. Seeing that, Renne smiled a little and continued her work. She then spoke again to Audrey without looking. “But you actually did notice something on him, didn’t you?”

“To be honest, yes.” Audrey replied while pulling a powered hammer from the suitcase and putting it down on her side. “I feel like you have caught his attention, and I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“You mean when he briefly looked sad back then?”

“Yes. I don’t know what exactly, but there is definitely something in you that reminds him of his past, whatever it is.”

“I see.” Renne lowered her head and put one hand under her chin. “And it can be either a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Precisely. Maybe it would be better if you keep your distance from him.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for the warning, Audrey.”

Renne closed the space suitcase after taking a robotic wrench, and then both she and Audrey went out from the house base carrying the tools they had taken. The fortification works continued, and by lunch time everyone could already see tangible progress. The other two houses were now about as serviceable and fortified as the temporary base, and there was a wooden barricade connecting the space between those two houses. At the same time the hunting group had returned bringing good results, so things were looking up for the time being.

“Good plan. I concur with that.” Nathan said after hearing a brief explanation of the defensive plan from Storm One.

Storm One then turned his head towards Lory and spoke. “Before we continue the fortification works, I want to ask questions mainly about the monsters we are going to deal with. Do you mind?”

“Alright, sure. The more everyone knows, the better off we’ll be.” Lory replied.

“How intelligent are they? Or to put it in other words, do they have the ability to recognize weaknesses in our defenses?”

“They do have a degree of intelligence, and yes.” Lory replied before glancing at the barricade at the distance. “If they encounter a wall, like the one you’ve made over there, most of them will normally walk around and look for gates or cracks before trying to break in.”

“I see. Then, are there any other kinds of monsters besides what we have seen? So far we have seen four-armed apes, huge green lizards, and small blue-skinned humanoid creatures.”

“It will be mostly those three in large numbers. Sometimes there are those capable of flight, but you can leave them to me.”

“Alright, makes sense.” Storm One said. “Last question for now.”

Storm One didn’t immediately speak. He was silent for a few seconds, glancing at several other people around before taking a deep breath and finally asking the question.

“If things go very bad for us, what will you do?”

Hearing the questions, everyone else within earshot reacted in each their own way. But they were all the same in one thing; looking at Lory with full attention after one second.

“I’ll run away.” Lory said with a straight face and no hesitation in his tone of speech.

“I see. In the case that happens, would you bring someone with-“

Before Storm One could finish the question, Renne intervened. “No! I won’t have it again! I’m done with being saved and leaving everyone else to die!” She spoke loudly with her arms on her hip.

“But Miss Alphen-“ Storm One said before Renne intervened again.

“You shouldn’t speak as if the worst’s gonna happen. Have you no resolve to win? Is that all the great Storm Squad amount to?”

Nobody said a word to Renne’s words immediately. But after a couple seconds Storm One visibly smiled and shook his head with a sigh.

“Understood, Miss Alphen. We will survive through this. All of us will.” Storm One said with determination.

“Now that’s more like it.” Renne smiled with her arms folded. “But because your resolve wavered, no dinner for you tonight.”

“W-What? But-“

Renne then laughed and gave Storm One a pat on his shoulder. “That’s even more like it! Don’t remain stiff all the time. What are you, a robot drone?”

Everyone else around laughed seeing the scene between Renne and Storm One. It felt like a nice change for everybody after being tense for a while. While this was happening, Lory stepped forward and spoke.

“I’m retracting my words.” Lory said. “I’ll fight alongside you all to the end.”

Nathan squinted his eyes at Lory. “Why the sudden change of mind?”

“I have my reasons.” Lory replied with his eyes at Renne. His unkempt facial hair obscured it, but one with keen eyes could notice the warm smile on his face.

***